Women In This Country Face 4 Years In Prison For Getting An Abortion

The lower house of Argentina's congress has narrowly approved a bill that would legalise abortion in the first 14 weeks of pregnancy. Photo: AFP / Eitan AbramovichSource:Whimn

For weeks, Argentina has been in a state of contention surrounding a bill that proposes to legalise abortion in the first 14 weeks of pregnancy.

Abortion is currently illegal in the South American nation in all situations except in cases of rape or when the life or health of the woman is at risk. Women seeking terminations also have to apply to a judge for permission, which critics argue can unnecessarily delay the procedure.

Currently, women in the predominantly Catholic country, homeland of Pope Francis, can be imprisoned up to four years for having the procedure. Even in cases where it is allowed by law, doctors are often unwilling to proceed with a termination for fear of prosecution.

However, despite strong opposition to the measure from the church, the lower house of Argentina's congress has narrowly approved the bill overnight - a historic victory for the country's growing women's movement.

After a divisive debate lasting more than 22 hours, 129 members of the Chamber of Deputies voted in favour and 125 against while one abstained, according to the BBC. The bill will now have to go before the more conservative Senate, where it faces an uphill battle to become law.

Argentine President Mauricio Macri is strongly opposed to the law change but has said that he will sign the bill if it passes.

It's telling that, on the eve of the World Cup in the typically soccer-crazed nation, Argentinians are instead talking about the abortion bill. Hashtags related to the intense political debate largely dominated social media overnight and tens of thousands spent the entire night demonstrating outside of the Congress building in Buenos Aires.

Crowds of pro-choice activists - many wearing green headscarfs which have become a symbol of the movement - cheered, wept and danced on the streets in the freezing cold after hearing the news.

"We're celebrating this first step taken by the Chamber of Deputies in its decision to move towards decriminalising abortion," Mariela Belski, Amnesty International Argentina's executive director said in a statement.

"New legislation could end a vicious circle where women have no option but to risk their lives, their health, and their freedom if they are sent to prison," she added. "Classifying the legal termination of a pregnancy as a crime has no basis in international law."

Christian woman harasses patients outside abortion clinic 1:05

Human rights groups say some 500,000 abortions — or "an estimated 40% of all pregnancies" — occur secretly each year in the country of more than 44 million people, regardless of the legal prohibition.

If passed through the Senate, Argentina will become the third nation in Latin America – behind Cuba and Uruguay – to legalise abortion. It comes just weeks after Ireland, another traditionally Catholic country, voted to repeal its constitutional ban on abortion.

Women's rights activists in Argentina have vowed they will continue to campaign vigorously until the bill is passed.